


A Yearning for Warmth

by Wulfton



Category: The Outer Worlds (Video Game)
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Established Relationship, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-19
Updated: 2020-01-19
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:35:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22321180
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wulfton/pseuds/Wulfton
Summary: Ever since thawing, the Captain finds himself colder than is comfortable. Fortunately, there's someone who can help rectify that.
Relationships: The Captain/Felix Millstone
Comments: 9
Kudos: 55





	A Yearning for Warmth

**Author's Note:**

> just a little brain bug I developed after reading missio's fic starring big spoon felix - you can totally blame them for this little cuddlefest ;)

The hallways of the Unreliable were uncharacteristically silent, and the Captain found himself more at ease than he had in days. As much as he loved his ragtag crew, he found himself making excuses to disappear to his own quarters more often lately; so far nobody had mentioned anything, and he was happy with them living in ignorant bliss of his need for solitude. From experience, people tended to get the wrong idea when he asked for space – acting as if he’d somehow implied something indecent about a beloved relative, or accusing him of being a cold-hearted bastard.

He shivered as the last thought brought to attention his lack of warmth, and he automatically hugged himself even tighter, pulling up his shoulders to bury his mouth in the collar of his sweatshirt. He stared balefully at the steaming mug in front of him in a futile attempt to quicken its cooling. He’d already tried a sip of the mystery liquid twice, and both times had resulted in a scalded tongue.

His eyes flicked towards the sleeping quarters as the sound of movement became apparent; feet padding on bare metal, followed immediately by hastily stifled curses at the sudden difference in temperature. The corner of his mouth quirked upwards, and he shook his head as he reached out towards the cup for a third try at warmth. Successfully managing a mouthful, he sighed as he felt the warmth run down his throat and promptly postponed any plans to pester ADA about proper heating.

Engrossed as he was in the now not-boiling beverage, he didn’t notice the uneven shuffling drawing closer to him, and then becoming quieter; eventually, he peered over the rim of his cup to see Felix slowly meandering to the bathroom, stifling yawns as he went. Chuckling at his crew member’s obliviousness, he drew his drink closer to try and capture as much warmth between swallows; the last thing he wanted was to be left with tepid dregs because he took too long to drink.

As time passed, and the liquid in his cup became almost negligent, the hiss of the bathroom doors opening broke the serene silence. The Captain had to hide his grin at the thought of Felix missing him again, and so he busied himself with knocking back the rest of his drink; he couldn’t help but grimace at the bitter aftertaste, and wished for the umpteenth time for hot chocolate from before the Crossing…

Losing himself in memories, he lost track of Felix until the gentle touch of a hand on his shoulder roused him, followed by Felix’s quiet, “...You alright there, boss?”

Mentally shaking himself, he smiled faintly at the concern in his voice before moving to stand up. He began making his way towards the sink, but first answered the question with a quiet, “Just relivin’ some old memories, trying to ignore the cold...”

Behind him, he didn’t notice Felix’s brows knitting together as he idly washed out the mug and left it to drain; although he definitely noticed when Felix hugged him from behind, and rested his head atop his. He couldn’t stop the sigh of relief even if he wanted to, nor how he melted readily into the contact; the feeling of his chest against his back grounded him firmly in the here and now, and the warmth was a delicious distraction from the pervading chill.

There was a moment of silence, before Felix nuzzled the top of his head and muttered, “Better?” with closed eyes and a lazy smile gracing his features. The question drew out a similar smile from the Captain, who nodded with a quiet, “Definitely – you’re a damn furnace…!”

The two of them chuckled, and he turned in the embrace to face Felix with his arms draped around his neck haphazardly; in response, Felix pulled him closer by the waist before lowering his head and resting his forehead against his. “Could stay like this for _ever_...” he muttered, thoughts of shivering cold far away; Felix nodded idly, his limbs listless in his sluggish state.

Before long, the Captain began to hum; he wasn’t sure what it was, only that it was a soft pre-cryo melody. He shifted gently from foot to foot, with Felix practically comatose following his lead; he lost himself in the moment, worries far away.

Eventually, Felix’s breathing became close to snores, which prompted the Captain to lean forward and rub their noses together with a quiet, “Hey.”

“Wuzzat…?” muttered Felix, cracking his eyes open and struggling to keep them that way. The Captain smiled to himself, before leaning forward to softly press against his mouth; he savored the kiss immensely, and the two after that before he drew back and whispered, “Time for bed, yeah…?”

At Felix’s half-fervent nod, he bobbed his head towards the sleeping quarters, “Yours is closer, and probably warmer,” which earned him a sleepy grin in response before he found himself being guided gently down the hallway.

He let Felix lead him, at a languid pace, towards his quarters. By the time the door closed behind them, his shivering had returned and he felt nothing but relief at being in the slightly-warmer quarters. He opened his mouth to ask Felix who was going where, but the decision had apparently already been made; he was pulled unceremoniously onto the bed with an undignified yelp, and he felt Felix’s Cheshire grin pressing into the back of his head as he was quickly wrapped in his warm, strong arms.

“You’re lucky you’re warm,” he muttered, even as he drew Felix’s arms tighter around him and pulled up the blanket. Felix’s only response was a quiet chuckle and a fond kiss to the back of his head that quickly mollified any misgivings he was harboring towards him.

The Captain relaxed further into the embrace, and was on the verge of sleep before he realized a slight problem: “That arm’s gonna go numb.”

Felix just flexed the limb in question, as the Captain traced the muscles with light fingers; he pulled him closer and muttered, “Worth it...” before seemingly falling asleep immediately. Grinning at the words, the Captain somehow made himself even more comfortable before drifting off to sleep, his smile still present.

In the bowels of the ship, ADA’s monitoring protocols recorded the development as she noted the improvement in the Captain’s mood, and crew morale, as a result of sub-optimal sleeping temperatures. As she wrote the discovery to storage, she found herself wandering if this was true of all humans.


End file.
